Physical description

Black and white photo showing a large family group in a flower field. In the background there are low hills with cleared paddocks and forested areas. According to the National Archives of Australia: 'Land was life for nurseryman Theo Spykers and his ancestors who had tilled the soil for generations; good land to own and to pass on to sons and their sons. At 42 Theo had one and a half acres near Rotterdam for a prosperous nursery, but he could only rent it and his family was growing. So, in 1948, Theo left his wife and six children at their home and set off by himself for Australia. Within a year he had paid a deposit on a broken-down property of 35 acres in the Dandenong ranges. His family joined him and they started to rehabilitate their new property. Mr and Mrs Spykers and twelve of their thirteen children pick chrysanthemums for sale in Melbourne, a city of 1,750,000. The children are; Theo, 20; Gerald, 15; Niko, 8; Frank, 5; Adolf, 22; Corrie, 11; Ria, 18; Terisa, 4; Anthony, 7; Tommy, 2; Elly, 10; Bill, 16.' Mr & Mrs Spykers are each holding one of the smaller children. This farm was on the corner of Birds Rd and Avon Rd, Avonsleigh. On the NAA records, Theodorus Gerardus Spykers arrived in Melbourne on the Muiderkerk on 27th February 1948.

Black and white photo showing 15 year old Gerald Spykers carrying bundles of chrysanthemums tied ready for market. He is at the family farm on the corner of Birds Rd and Avon Rd, Avonsleigh.